INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightAFP/GettyImage caption
Australians have flocked to beaches and watering holes to cool off
Australia has just sweltered through at least five of its 10 warmest days on record, authorities estimate.An extreme heatwave has afflicted
the nation since Saturday, causing wildlife deaths, bushfires and a rise in hospital admissions.Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said
preliminary readings showed daily national temperature highs of 40C (104F).The town of Noona in New South Wales hit a night-time temperature
of 35.9C.It was the highest minimum temperature ever recorded anywhere in Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said
Temperatures on Friday will soar above 42C in "broad areas", the Bureau predicted.Forecasters have compared conditions to the nation's
worst heatwave in 2013, where the mercury soared to 39C for seven consecutive days.The hottest day on record for Australia is 7 January
2013, when the national average maximum temperature was 40.3C.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
A beachgoer in
Sydney on Tuesday
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
A woman cools down with her dog at Port
Melbourne Beach
"The current heatwave ranks alongside that of January 2013 as the most extensive and prolonged heatwave on
record over Australia," BOM senior meteorologist Blair Trewin told the TheIndianSubcontinent earlier this week."There have been other
notable heatwaves but none affecting such a large area of the country."Where is affectedA large swathe of New South Wales is bearing the
brunt of the heat, with temperatures also soaring in parts of Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and the Northern Territory.Temperatures
are expected to drop in southern and central areas over the weekend.But meteorologists say they are then set to rise in Western
Australia.Parts of the state could see temperatures up to 14 degrees higher than average in the days to come
Is it dangerousMeteorologists say that the heatwave has broken heat records at more than 10 places around Australia, largely central inland
locations.The record-setters included the outback town of Tarcoola in South Australia which soared to 49C on Tuesday, and Port Augusta in
South Australia which reached 48.9C.Sixteen people in South Australia were admitted to hospital due to the heat on Wednesday, the state
Authorities in several states have also issued health warnings urging people to stay indoors and minimise physical activity, with heightened
concerns for the elderly, the chronically ill and children.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Australians are used
to high temperatures - even though the current heatwave appears to be particularly bad
Image copyrightEPAImage caption
State authorities have issued heat stress warnings to people
In coastal cities, many Australians flocked to
pools, beaches and other watering holes to cool off.Some people also shared their attempts to cool down on social media, including one
Reddit user who wrote that he was "refrigerating my pyjamas to survive the stuffiness of my bedroom".Dozens of bushfires were burning across
Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales on Thursday in conditions exacerbated by the heat and drought.At Cobar's Empire Hotel, temperatures
reached 50C on Friday."It's very difficult but we push through," bar attendant Britney-Lee Fazulla told the Sydney Morning Herald
newspaper.She said it was the worst heatwave she'd experienced.There were also reports of mass deaths in native bat colonies in New South
Wales, and fruit orchards spoiling under the Sun.Up to a million fish are believed to have died along river banks.How is climate change
affecting AustraliaLast week, officials confirmed that 2018 and 2017 had been Australia's third and fourth hottest years on record
The Bureau's State of the Climate 2018 report said climate change had led to an increase in extreme heat events.Even if global
temperatures are contained to the Paris accord limit of a 2C rise above pre-industrial levels, scientists believe the country is facing a
Parts of eastern Australia suffered their worst drought in recent history last year, while thousands of Australians fled their homes when
bushfires swept through Queensland in November.
